1. Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to an on-line paintable insert useful for mounting into a depression having a lateral, a longitudinal and a vertical extension whereby the insert comprises an optionally shaped body having a paintable surface and being attachable to the depression by an adhesive layer. The invention also refers to the use of such inserts in the automobile industry and, in particular, to their use as paintable roof-ditch inserts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Paintable inserts for depressions are useful for various industrial applications and, in particular, in the automobile industry. An example of an essentially channel-shaped depression found in an automobile body is the roof-ditch which is formed at the junction of the roof panel and the side panel and which extends over the automobile roof in the longitudinal direction.
For styling and reducing drag it is desirable to fill the roof-ditch with, for example, an insert that can be easily installed, exhibits an aesthetic surface, and compensates for dimensional variations in the ditch itself.
FIGS. 1-2 show roof-ditch insert constructions of the prior art.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a roof-ditch channel. The junction 107 between the roof panel 105 and the side panel 106 is sealed with a sealing layer 103. After application of the sealing layer 103, the automobile body including the roof-ditch channel is subjected to the automobile painting cycle resulting in a continuous paint layer 101. The roof-ditch insert comprising an off-line painted metal molding 102 and a gap closing rubber profile 104 is then friction-fitted into the roof-ditch channel.
An off-line paintable insert similar to that of FIG. 1 is described in Research Disclosure, Apr. 1992, p. 291, no. 336, 79. The co-extruded molding has a color-film portion, a metal stiffener, and a pliable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) portion. The molding is placed in the ditch and forced into it by means of a roller, the pliable PVC portion securing the molding in the ditch and compensating for variations in the lateral extension (i.e., the width) of the ditch over the length of the roof.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of another off-line paintable insert of the prior art. A T-shaped fastening means 108 is applied to the side panel 106 of the roof-ditch channel, for example, and acts as a mechanical fastening means for the roof-ditch molding comprising an off-line painted metal molding 102 and a fastening means 109 engagable with the T-shaped hook fastening means 108.
Off-line paintable roof-ditch moldings have several disadvantages. Since the roof-ditch molding and the car body are painted in separated steps, the colors often do not fully match so that the aesthetic appearance of off-line painted inserts is not fully satisfying. Moreover, roof-ditch inserts in a great variety of colors have to be stored and supplied to the point of manufacture which is demanding from a logistics point of view.
Because of the principle problems associated with off-line paintable constructions there has been a strong demand for on-line paintable roof-ditch inserts for some time. The prior art construction shown in FIG. 3 has been suggested as an on-line paintable cap for essentially planar metal seams 111 formed at the junction of two metal parts 112 and 113. The cap comprises a metal molding 102 and a flexible sealer mass 103 which can be bent along the incision 110 to be mechanically secured to the metal molding 102. The sealer mass seals the metal seam 111 and adheres the cap to the metal substrates.
The cap of FIG. 3 is not suited for being inserted into depressions such as roof-ditch channels. The lateral extension of the metal molding 102 is smaller than the minimum width of the roof-ditch channel over its length so that no self-centering is obtained. If the lateral extension of the metal molding 102 were adjusted to the minimum width of the roof-ditch channel over its length, this might result in galvanic corrosion problems and would, in particular, be less appealing from an aesthetic point of view because an air gap between the metal molding 102 and the edge of the roof-ditch channel would be present over part of the length of the roof-ditch channel only. The protruding metal molding 102 also prevents the bottom part of the roof-ditch channel from being painted which results in corrosion problems.
It was therefore an objective of the present invention to provide an insert useful for mounting into a depression and, in particular, into the roof-ditch channel of an automobile, said insert:
being on-line paintable, providing a high quality class A-type surface after the painting cycle, which is aesthetically satisfactory; PA1 being essentially self-centering, i.e., able, for example, to manage optional tolerances in the width (lateral extension) and depth (vertical extension) over the length (longitudinal extension) of the depression; and PA1 being capable of being secured to the depression in a way so that the painting layer, applied to the inner surface of the depression during the painting cycle, reliably protects the depression against corrosion.
It was another objective of the present invention to provide an on-line paintable insert usefull for mounting into a depression and, in particular, into the roof-ditch channel of an automobile, which does not have the shortcomings of the state-of-the-art constructions or has them only to a lower degree. Other objectives of the present invention can be readily taken from the following detailed specification.